Yobe APC holds Damaturu rally to counter 'Tinubu Must Go' slogan

Thousands of All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters marched through Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, on Saturday in a solidarity walk for President Bola Tinubu's re-election, according to the party and reports from the rally.

The event was tagged "Tinubu Must Go Again, Cika Alkawari" and organised by the Tinubu Must Go Again Movement together with the state APC leadership. It was staged as a direct answer to the opposition slogan "Tinubu Must Go".

The walk began at the Damaturu flyover and ended at the Pilgrim Commission Office Complex along the Damaturu–Potiskum Road. It ran from about 7:30am to 11:30am and ended without any reported security incident.

Participants carried APC flags, banners, posters of the President and placards listing what they called the achievements of his administration. Youths, women and other party supporters took part.

The Secretary to the Yobe State Government, Dr Mohammed Goje, led party stakeholders at the walk. It was coordinated by the movement's National Coordinator, Professor Sherif Almuhajir, and its State Coordinator, Dr Mukhtar Yarima Bularafa.

Why it matters

The rally comes weeks after hundreds of youths protested in Potiskum on October 1, Nigeria's 66th Independence Anniversary. Those protesters called for Tinubu's removal, citing economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment and what they described as poor governance.

Some of them carried flags of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). They said the President's Independence Day broadcast did not address their grievances. Eyewitnesses described that demonstration as peaceful and orderly.

For ordinary Nigerians, the two events show how the cost of living, jobs and safety are shaping early political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, with supporters and critics of the government both taking to the streets.

Speaking at Saturday's rally, Goje said Yobe had every reason to back the President, noting that the state had benefited from cooperation between Governor Mai Mala Buni's administration and the Federal Government. He urged residents to keep supporting the APC.

Almuhajir said Tinubu deserved another term, citing what he described as the President's achievements across the country. He said the movement would keep mobilising at the grassroots to strengthen the party ahead of 2027.

The rally also served to reaffirm support for the party's governorship candidate in Yobe, Alhaji Baba Malam Wali, as political activity picks up in the state.

What happens next

Both camps say they will keep mobilising. The movement plans to intensify its grassroots campaign for the President, while critics of the administration have shown they can also draw crowds. How those messages land with voters will be tested as the 2027 elections draw closer.